"That was...okay...," he said with a slight grin.
"What?" asked Rae she couldn't believe he was complementing her dueling. In Kentucky, every boy she knew would either stomp off angrily or boasted that girls were always weak.
"You were okay." he repeated. "I guess if I hadn't got lucky at the last second you would have nailed me like a fence post." Jeff said.
Rae smiled heartily, but she knew he was only trying to make her feel better. Or did he really mean it? Seto could not believe a cowboy had pulled off something like that on a girl whose skills were highly conspiscuous. Seto could almost taste the feeling of denial and anger in Rae's heart. He bucked boredly, he wanted the stupid bandages off. He was healed now!
Look at me! He whinnied and pranced like a deer. I'm fine now! Seto tossed his head and broke into a canter with his head low, proving how fast he could run. vicky laughed so suddenly he nearly tripped. Instead he caught his balance with a half rear.
"Okay, I think we have the point now!" laughed Rae. "Are we going to take off the bandages today?"
"Well they are supposed to stay on for a week, but it looks like nothing is restricting his movement. My question is, is how it healed so darn fast!" she said.
"I told you a little sunshine would turn him on!" said Rae looking through the corral rails at Zan. Vicky sighed, but she was unsure about still allowing the Gillilands to keep him on her property. Zanzibar was dangerous. So dangerous that not even another horse could get near him. He wasn't just vicious, but strong and fast. Of course he wasn't possesed by demons or what not, but just so wild. Maybe, Jeffery could possibly help her this week. Now he was healed of his injuries that usually took an average horse several weeks to heal fully. He was also so clever. He could figure out things faster than most animals in general. He had the exact way of reasoning as a human being!
"Well, okay, but promise me that you'll let Jeff work with him or else, he's leaving the Sanctuary." she said winking at Rae.
"No problem!" said Rae and she ran off the join Jeff. She found him in one of the stalls softly brushing a curry comb over his mare's body. She pricked her ears and whinnied when she saw Rae.
"Your horse is friendly." said Rae, stroking Gypsy's brownish-gold coat. Rae picked up a body brush. "May I help?"
"Sure." he mummbled.
"Vicky said that you need to help me more with Zan or else he leaves, I thought tommorow would be a good time." Rae said. "Does that sound okay?" Jeff nodded and began cleaning Gypsy's hooves with a hoof pick. She protested violently which surprised Rae. The mare sank her teeth into Jeff's shoulder and knocked him to the ground.
"WELL THAT WAS STUPID OF YOU!" Jeff exclaimed angrily and jerked on her halter rope. He got up and shoved the mare to the back of the stall. Gypsy threw her head back, the whites of her eyes showing. "You know animals are the most stupidest things ever created! You try to help 'em and all they wanna do is act stupid!" Rae felt a little uneasy at his words. The mare just hated having her feet touched, that was all. Of course it was very odd that she'd react so violently.
"Does she do this everytime?" asked Rae.
"Yup." said Jeff calmly. "I've done everything and tried to find out what to make her stop. But she keeps doin' that. I've never seen an animal act like that, it's rediculous!"
"I've stopped caring now, I can't make her stop. Not even with join up!" said Jeff.
"What's join up?" asked Rae.
"Have you heard of the horse whisperer?" asked Jeff. Rae shook her head. "He's a dude who people say, metaphorically speaking, can talk to horses. In other words he can get them to trust him with his voice, join up's a techinique that helps reasure the horse, he can trust you."
"You think it'll work on Zan?" asked Rae.
"He'll probably kill you!" Jeff laughed. "I tell, ya' Rae, your stud has a bad temper."
Rae tried to brush back that comment but it stuck in her head. She was glad her parents weren't here everyday. She had to get him trust her so she could break him to a saddle. "Well, I'm sure you can help!" said Rae. "He'll be the tamest horse in Nevada before you can blink."
"I'm blinking right now...," said Jeff.
"You know what I mean!" Rae said rolling her eyes. "I'll see ya' tommorow." Rae walked off, her heart felt lighter than as it had been. Talking to Jeff made things seem so better. She had never felt that way before around a person before. Maybe it was just knowing that Jeff respected her that made her feel better about herself and even more confident. Rae decided to talk to Zan. Well, she would at least try to.
Seto watched Vicky exit the corral and leaving him inside. That duel had reminded him of home so much. He wanted to go back more than ever now. He still began to wonder about what Mokuba was thinking. Of course Mokuba had been left alone when Seto went on extended trips, but never had he been left without a warning. He worried about him. Poor boy, he was probably more angery than scared. Mokuba would never accept him back after what he had done. Now it would might be months even years before he came back and fully human. Maybe this horse transformation would only last for a few weeks and then he went back to his normal life and left this stupid ranch behind. He would also leave Nevada and go far away, where the terrible memories of being trapped and nearly killed were behind him. Seto watched the sun sink behind the rugged mountains. The red light reflected off the snowy white peaks making them look like an entire range of erupting volcanos. He had planned to build a winter home in those mountains that following year so he and his brother could go snow boarding, but he would have to hold that off for another year. Another dream ruined...
Soft footsteps crunched on the gravel. Seto flicked his ear and turned his head. It was Rae again, here to ruin everything as always. Rae stood still admiring the black stallion and the sunset image. She longed for a camera to catch his silky black coat reflect the blood red light of the sun and the majestic mountains that stood like a gigantic fortress. Zanzibar stood like a sculpture carved out of ebony and trimmed with scarlet. She walked closer to him. Seto took several steps back giving a warning glare and laying back his ears.
"It's okay, you don't have to be afraid of me." she whispered. Seto shook his head. So was this why that they were all about developing trust with Rae. Was because they thought he was afraid? "I know you've probably been through a lot but, I have too." Seto quietly stood still, his ears pricked in her direction letting her know he was focusing on her voice.
"Well, I used to live in Kentucky and had a huge farm of horses, some looked just like you." Rae said. "Then, there was an equine flu epidemic and we had to sell all our horses and move away. I miss my friends there, I remember we would go on trail rides and horse shows, and even duel together. But now, I hardly have any friends now. The one's back at home have forgotten about me and now all I have is Rex and you. I named Rex after a duelist, Rex Raptor to be exact, heh, I just thought, since horses can keep secrets, I'd tell this stuff to you. There are just some things about my life I don't trust to tell other people. I'm afriad of being laughed at. Anyway, I'd just thought you'd understand...," Rae gave a small grin and waved at him. Seto watched her mount Rex an ride away.
Seto watched her leave and then sighed deeply. He saw a different side of the girl that he had never expected. His heart was filled with sympathy for her. Something so foreign to his heart, it almost hurt. Like his soul was having a minor allergic reaction. But then the pain would ease away and he'd become immune to it and then experiance it more and more like all other people. And for the first time in his life, Seto Kaiba actually thought about someone else...
Carson City, Nevada: The Corral Motel
"Rebekka how many days until we get to Reno?" asked Tea Gardener setting her suitcase on a small bed.
"Grandpa says just another day's drive." Rebekka Hawkins said, "I can't wait, Tea! Cool, crisp air! The Rocky Mountains and best of all, Mustangs!"
"Are we gonna get cool cars?" asked Tea, raising her eye brows.
"No, Brainless!" Rebekka laughed. "Not Mustang cars, Mustang horses! And Sam even said she has one!"
"Oh right...horses...my bad...," Tea said.
"What's wrong with that?" asked Rebekka.
"Erm...last time I rode a horse I had a bad experiance...and I have this feeling too...," she said.
"What feeling?"
"The feeling that we are going to have a third-world experiance stuck in the mountains andtowns 50 miles apart." said Tea her voice raising slightly as if she was terribly troubled by it. Rebekka shrugged, her friend was probably just a little homesick. Of course they wouldn't be living in some dump! Why couldn't people just trust her these days? Everything was going to be fine.
"So what do we do now?" asked Tea plopping herself on her bed. "I'm so bored from that ride."
"I told the guys we'd meet in the lobby, then we could talk. They even have a big screen T.V. down there, a swimming pool, and an arcade. This place is huge for a cheap motel!" said Rebekka. "I guess that's just what the West is full of, surprises you never expect."
"Yeah, like the fact I'm going to be stuck with a bunch of stupid horses all summer...," Tea muttered under her breath.
"Huh? What did you say?" asked Rebekka.
"Oh...I...uh, think you're right, it is...quite wonderful after all!" Tea said, she hoped Rebekka had not heard what she had said. But she felt relieved when she gestured for them to go to the lobby.
The boys had beat them down there as they both had suspected. Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor had their eyes glued to the screen watching some sort of humorous sitcom. Yugi Moto, a spiky haired boy with multi-colored hair was deeply concentrating on the Portable Playstation he was holding in front of him. Rebekka looked curiously at the television show and then sat down in one of the plush chairs. She found to remote control and turned the television off. The two teenagers stared mournfully at the black screen before their eyes.
"We are supposed to talk...," Rebekka said, tossing the remote control in the air and catching it again.
"Come on Reb! It was getting to the good part!" Joey begged.
"Nope!" Rebekka said. "We are on a vacation together and I don't wanna waste it watching...Old Yasha?"
"It's a spoof of InuYasha and Old Yeller!" said Tristan. "And tonight was the director's cut Thai version of episode 120!" Rebekka rolled her eyes and hid the remote under her chair cushion. The lobby was silent except for the sound-effects of Yugi's game system.
"Um...Yugi...," Rebekka said, giving Yugi a warning glance. Reluctantly, he turned it off and placed it on the ground. "So...?"
"Well..." Rebekka began until Tea cut her off.
"What are we going to be doing exactly when we get to Reno...or whatever...?" asked Tea.
"Well, when we get there, we will be staying at the Gilliland's house. Don't worry they are pretty civilized (she winked at Tea) and then the next day, she'll tour us around the city and then she said she'll get us a few horses and we can ride and hike and just explore. I thought it would be cool if you guys came, after all, I did mention she's a duelist, right?"
"Duelist?" asked Yugi and Joey in unison, they seemed a bit more interested.
"Yep, she's very good infact. Her name is Rae, she's my cousin. I haven't seen her in ages, I thought maybe a chance to hang out would make her summer better! After all, she doesn't have many friends, she just moved there from Kentucky." said Rebekka. "She told me she had a new horse, he's a black stallion, a mustang, and his name is Zanzibar after that island in Africa!"
"So that's it? Is there more?" asked Tristan.
"There is a town nearby, they have a mall and restruants, and gameshops, and tackshops. And every Saturday night they have rodeos!" she said.
"Sounds exiting." said Yugi. "But I want to ask something else."
"What?"
"Can I play my game now?" he asked.
"Whatever." Rebekka shrugged. She reached in the cushion and retrieved the remote control. She turned on the T.V. and began flipping through the channels. She came to the News channel and stopped. She loved torturing Joey and Tristan.
"We have a special announcement to make of the sudden dissapearance of a teenage boy in Nevada, Seto Kaiba." the women on the television said. Everyone's eyes were locked on the screen. "Just four days ago, the CEO of Kaiba Corporation, was reported missing. His entire Navadan headquarters in Reno were inspected thoroughly and there was no trace of him at all. Kaiba is 17 years old, 6 feet tall, and weighs 132 pounds. He was also wearing a black T-shirt and jeans on the day of his dissaperance. If you find him please call the police."
"Kaiba's missing?" asked Joey. "Doesn't he have those fancy helicopters that can locate him or something?"
"Shut up, Joey, there's more!" snapped Tea.
"Following this news is the escape of Caleb Howard, the brother of former dueling champion, Bandit Keith Howard. Howard was arrested for the illegal capture of 150 wild horses and for stealing 18 cattle and 42 goats from a local sale barn earlier this month. Last night, he escaped shortly after...," her voice faded as Rebekka pressed down on the "Off" button.
"Why'd you do that for!" demanded Joey.
"Wow Joey wanting to watch the News, that's a first!" Tristan said.
"Hey, I didn't know that Bandit Keith had a brother! Sounds more like a great duel in the making, huh, Yugi?" asked Joey. It seemed that the strange dissaperance of Kaiba was forgotten...
"Just because his brother duels doesn't mean he does. You heard her, he stole horses, cattle, and, goats, doesn't sound like a duelist to me. More like an average guy with the wrong motivations, that all." said Yugi.
The blond boy shrugged and looked outside, it had started to rain again. Lightning branched out across the dark sky, illuminating the earth. He hadn't dueled for a long time and he was missing the excitment he used to have. Everyone else seemed so...bored of it now. Like it was just a game they just played when they were young. Joey sighed. I guess things are just changing now, but if it all comes to an end, I'm sure gonna miss the fun of it all, that's for sure...
